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Trail and Plant Guide Mesa Del Rincón

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Trail and Plant Guide Mesa Del Rincón Trail and Plant Guide Mesa del Rincón San Ignacio, BCS All text and plant illustrations Copyright © 2011 by Debra Valov Map Copyright © 2011 Jane B. Ames & Debra Valov Revised edition © 11-April-2012 This booklet and any or all of its contents may be reproduced for personal or educational use only. Commercial use is prohibited without express per- mission of the author. Special thanks to: Dr. Jon Rebman, Curator of Botany, San Diego Natural History Museum for access to the herbarium’s resources and Bajaflora database, as well as for his mentoring and confirmation of several plant identifications; Renne Mayo for her art consultation; and always to Pacifica for her editing, patience and support. Additional References Baja Flora. A project of the San Diego Natural History Museum, accessed at http://bajaflora.org León de la Luz, José Luis and Coria, Rocío, Eds. (1992). Flora Iconográfica de Baja California Sur Publicación No. 3. La Paz, BCS: Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas de Baja California Sur, A.C. Roberts, Norman C. (1989). Baja California Plant Field Guide. La Jolla, CA: Natural History Publishing Company. Shreve, F. & Wiggins, I. L. (1964). Vegetation and Flora of the Sonoran Desert (Vol. 1 & 2). Stanford, CA: Standord University Press. Wiggins, Ira J. (1980). Flora of Baja California. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ........................................................................................................ 4 Trail Descriptions ............................................................................................... 6 Plants by Trail Marker ....................................................................................... 8 Map of Mesa del Rincón .................................................................................. 14 More plant descriptions .................................................................................... 21 Glossary of Plant terms .................................................................................... 24 Plant list ........................................................................................................... 26 Illustrated Plant Descriptions Agave cerulata var. subcerulata (Maguey) .................................................... 11 Bursera microphylla (Torote Colorado)......................................................... 11 Pachycereus pringlei (Cardón) ...................................................................... 12 Stenocereus thurberi (Organpipe Cactus) ...................................................... 12 Lophocereus schottii (Old-man Cactus) ........................................................ 13 Stenocereus gummosus (Pitahaya Agria) ....................................................... 13 Cylindropuntia alcahes var. alcahes (Cholla Barbona) ................................. 16 Cylindropuntia cholla (Chainlink Cholla) ..................................................... 16 Grusonia invicta (Casa Rata) ........................................................................ 17 Echinocereus brandegeei (Hedgehog Cactus) ............................................... 17 Mammillaria dioica, M. lewisiana (Fish Hook and Pincushion Cacti) ......... 18 Ferocactus peninsulae, F. emoryi var. rectispinus (Barrel Cactus) .............. 18 Olneya tesota (Desert Ironwood) ................................................................... 19 Parkinsonia microphylla (Palo Verde) ........................................................... 19 Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana (Mesquite) ............................................. 19 Ebenopsis confinis (Ejotón) ........................................................................... 20 Jatropha cuneata (Limberbush) ..................................................................... 20 Fouquieria diguetii (Palo Adán) .................................................................... 21 INTrOduCTION Location San Ignacio is nestled in a side canyon of the San Ignacio Arroyo and is bordered on the south and west by a single large mesa that is split in three by smaller can- yons. With its geological history, lava flows (both sheet and block), tinajas (sea- sonal, natural rock pools), variety and density of vegetation, archeological and cultural points of interest, and fantastic vistas, Mesa Rincón is by far the most interesting of the three mesas. The main path up to the mesa is called the Camino Real trail, and is a fragment of the “King’s Highway” that connected the missions of Alta and Baja California. This section led southward into the Sierras and connected San Ignacio to the Gua- dalupe, Purísima, Comondú and San Javier missions. CLImate San Ignacio is located in the central region of the Baja California peninsula. It is warm or hot and dry much of the year, though winter morning temperatures can be quite chilly. The best time for most people to visit the mesa is between Octo- ber and April, when day time temperatures are milder. Except for early morning hours, the summer months can be brutal as the trees have few leaves and shade is hard to find on the mesa. Make a visit to the mesa part of your Baja California gray whale-watching trip. Plan on a half-day (4 hours) to enjoy the walk at a leisurely pace and explore the plant life. For a longer stay in town, spend a few days exploring the different parts of the mesa. For seasoned hikers and botanical enthusiasts, learn to recognize the plants on Mesa Rincón then climb the steeper mesa known as Mesa de la Cruz on the town’s northeast edge. Maps are available at Casa Lereé and the web sites listed on the back of this pamphlet. VEgetation The vegetation of the mesa is typical of the xerophytic desert scrub of the Sonoran Desert found here in the central peninsula. Drought-adapted plants such as those with succulent stems or thick trunks (as seen in the cacti and Elephant trees), or shrubs and small trees with tiny, deciduous leaves (like Mesquite, Palo Verde and Desert Ironwood) dominate the landscape. Annuals and perennials make their ap- pearance in times of abundant rain. 4 Many of the trees and shrubs of the region spend a great deal of their life cycle in a dormant, leafless state, often resembling masses of dead twigs. These drought deciduous plants (such as Lomboy, Matacora, Palo Verde and Palo Adán) only produce leaves when there is ample moisture. Please be cautious and don’t break off branches or uproot these shrubs, nor trample on these seemingly “dead” plants, or they soon will be dead. Please stay on the trails as much as possible and avoid trampling and compacting soils around the bases of plants. Do not collect live specimens of any plants. Note: all cacti are protected by federal and international laws and treaties. Mammillarias are tiny cacti that grow on the mesa and commonly grow in between rocks on the ground or cracks in rocks. Watch where you step, sit or put your hands. The plant list at the end of this booklet was compiled after visits to the area in December 2009 and 2010, as well as April 2011, so many late spring or summer annuals and perennials are not well represented in the inventories made. Distances and elevations are approximate, with many calculated as straight lines between GPS waypoints. GPS coordinates are based on the WGS84 data set, so accuracy will depend on the model and settings of the GPS used. Coordinates correspond well with Google Earth maps. Plants measurements are given in metric units, while distances are both in English and Metric units. Illustrations were created from photographs of live plants and are not necessarily to scale if compared with illustrations of the same or other species. H = height, L = length/long, D = diameter, W = wide Species names in parentheses that appear within titles of plant descriptions are synonyms (usually outdated names) of the name they appear after. SAFETy ISSuES & TrAIL ETIquETTE * There are many spiny plants on the mesa, especially low-growing cacti. For that reason, open-toed shoes are NOT recommended. * Keep an eye on children and dogs and keep them on the trails. * Be aware of where you put down your belongings and hands and where you sit or tread to avoid unpleasant contact with spines. Watch your companion’s as well. * Carry ample water; bring a snack or lunch to better enjoy the trails at a leisurely pace. * Pack out all your trash and pick up any you might find along the way. 5 TrAIL dESCrIpTIONS EL CAmINO rEAL [½ mI. - 750 m] N 27.2788°/ W 112.8957° The trail begins along a low rock wall (1), turns and then climbs gradually up less than a hundred feet to the mesa through cuts in the foundation rock. Near the base (2), the wide trail passes through a layer of caliche (limestone with embedded fossilized shells) capped with lava. At the top of the climb (3), the stone steps and path have been hewn out of the lava flow. A basalt block named Cerro Tepayac rises above the trail on the east side, with talus slopes below. Look for Turkey Vultures roosting high up on the rocks along the ridge. From here, to the northwest is a vista of the town of San Ignacio. Vista dEL CAñON [50-75 ydS/m] N 27.2754°/ W 112.8949° This short spur trail will take you through volcanic rubble and natural cactus gar- dens to the edge of the mesa. The Vista point (6) is an open slab of rock affording a view across the narrow canyon to a rock terrace on the opposite side as well as of the canyon floor. For the sure-of-foot, it is possible to continue past the vista point, walk across lava boulders and follow
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